Time to clear the air!

I have something I need to get off my chest, and I think this blog is the best place to do it.
With all the upheaval going on in our country these days, most of us are going through some emotional ups and downs… fear, anxiety, anger… these and other emotions are running high among us. Many of us feel that our government – Federal, State and Local, past and present, are way off base with the way they are running things, and we are becoming very outspoken in our reactions. Understandable, but I believe we need to do more than rant and rave about situations… we, as citizens of a free nation, need to speak out on issues, but in an INFORMED way, not an emotional one! I will cite the example of the recent legislation signed into law by Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer, SB1070. No, I haven’t read the bill yet, nor do I agree that this is the best solution to securing our borders from ILLEGAL aliens who are crossing over the border in huge numbers. The ideal situation would be for the Federal Government to defend our borders, as outlined in the Constitution. But because of political polarization, Washington deems it an inopportune time to create and pass legislation to reform our immigration policy, and would rather leave the borders open to all who would cross them rather than to tackle an issue that might make them politically unpopular in an election year.
As a reaction to the long inactivity on the part of the Federal Government, Governor Brewer signed SB1070, probably knowing full well it would be attacked by the opposition and will no doubt be held up by litigation to repeal it.
What I find to be most disturbing about the reaction of much of the general public is that they cannot see past the rhetoric about racial profiling to understand that we have a totally dysfunctional Federal Government that will only act when it is in their best interests politically. And believe me, dear readers, I do not think this behavior began on January 20, 2009. It has been a way of life for Congress and our other elected officials for probably the entire existence of our country, but it is very noticeable right now, because we as a nation are floundering.
So to get back to what I need to get off my chest: it’s a total copout when we rant and rave and use name-calling and sweeping generalities to strike out at those with whom we disagree. Oh, it feels good for the moment, but unless we are looking to get into shouting matches, it really isn’t very productive. Now, more than ever, I think we need to do our homework, study situations, look for facts and not accusations, and try… really TRY, to form opinions based on truth. And it helps to listen to each other without bias, try to hear where we each are coming from. Don’t worry about trying to win an argument! Let’s focus on what the problems are, and see if we can figure out solutions. For instance, if we can’t get the Federal Government to do more to secure our borders, what are our other viable options? Should we just shrug our shoulders and decide it’s not our problem? Should we write our Congressmen and ask them to communicate their ideas? Or do we try to support our state or the states who share their borders with foreign countries, when the states do what they can to solve the problem absent a solution from the Federal Government? If SB1070 isn’t the answer, what do you think is?
Let’s try to remember that we are the citizens of a free nation, and as such, have the privilege of free speech… use that privilege to communicate with your government and let them know how you feel about our current state of affairs. Learn about the issues. Get to know your representatives, and the candidates that are running for office. Then you will have the information necessary to conduct intelligent conversations about what is going on today in our nation. But try to resist the temptation to just rant and repeat what you have heard without knowing the full story… it really doesn’t speak well of you, and only serves to turn people off to you. There… I’ve said my piece!